What do you think?
Rate this book
Tatty Crowe #3
Black Velvet and Vengeance
The page-turning third novel featuring intrepid heroine Tatty Crowe and the fascinating world of Sydney's Victorian funeral business, from bestselling historical fiction author Deborah Challinor.
Sometimes death is just the beginning ...
Late 1872. When twenty-five-year-old Sydney undertaker Tatiana Crowe travels to Auckland to embalm the body of Evan Hunter's father events go horribly wrong, leaving Tatty stricken.
Back at home, Tatty has some enormous decisions to make, but finds herself facing challenges both personal and professional. When bodies start to go missing, seemingly snatched from the funeral train en route to the cemetery, it looks like someone is targeting Tatty's business and everything she holds dear.
Who has a vendetta against Tatty, and why? With the aid of the family she has made for herself among the misfits of Sydney she must fend off extortion demands, an irate grieving mother, Darlinghurst Gaol tittle-tattlers and the threat of ruin.
Featuring a fiercely intrepid heroine, Black Velvet and Vengeance vividly and unforgettably shines a light on a fascinating period of Sydney's history - life, death and everything in between.
Sometimes death is just the beginning ...
Late 1872. When twenty-five-year-old Sydney undertaker Tatiana Crowe travels to Auckland to embalm the body of Evan Hunter's father events go horribly wrong, leaving Tatty stricken.
Back at home, Tatty has some enormous decisions to make, but finds herself facing challenges both personal and professional. When bodies start to go missing, seemingly snatched from the funeral train en route to the cemetery, it looks like someone is targeting Tatty's business and everything she holds dear.
Who has a vendetta against Tatty, and why? With the aid of the family she has made for herself among the misfits of Sydney she must fend off extortion demands, an irate grieving mother, Darlinghurst Gaol tittle-tattlers and the threat of ruin.
Featuring a fiercely intrepid heroine, Black Velvet and Vengeance vividly and unforgettably shines a light on a fascinating period of Sydney's history - life, death and everything in between.
327 pages, Paperback
Published March 1, 2026
About the author
Deborah Challinor
24 books255 followersBorn in Huntly, she holds a PhD in New Zealand history from the University of Waikato. Challinor has worked as a fulltime writer and historian since 2000.
Primarily known for her historical novels, Deborah Challinor’s first published books were non-fiction history books, including the best-selling Grey Ghosts: New Zealand Vietnam Vets Talk About Their War (Hodder Moa Beckett, 1998).
Her first historical novel, Tamar, was published in 2002 and has been reprinted six times. Tamar is set in Auckland, Hawke’s Bay and South Africa and covers the period from 1879 until the Boer War. The series continues with White Feathers (2003) and Blue Smoke (2004).
Union Belle (2005) tells the love story of a young woman caught up in the 1951 waterfront strike, and Kitty (2006) is set in the Bay of Islands in nineteenth century New Zealand. Both novels have been at the top of the New Zealand fiction bestseller list.
Attention to historical detail is an important part of writing for Challinor. ‘I base my novels on actual historical events, and it’s very important to me to research those events in depth and to present them accurately,’ she says.
Reviewing Union Belle in North and South magazine in April 2005, Warwick Roger commented that: ‘You can smell the beer and cigarette smoke in the public bar of the Huntly Hotel, hear the band at the Saturday night dances at the miner’s hall … it’s a book I kept sneaking back to whenever I had a spare quarter hour, eager to advance the story.’
Fire (HarperCollins, 2007), Challinor's seventh novel, is set in Auckland during the hype leading up to the royal visit of 1953, but is based on the Ballantyne’s department store fire of 1947 in Christchurch. A powerful and dramatic story of passion, ambition and greed, it became a number one bestseller.
Amber, the sequel to Kitty, was published later in 2007 and also became a bestseller. Amber opens in New Zealand in 1945, on the eve of the Northern War in the Bay of Islands, in which Kitty is caught up. Sent to Auckland away from the fighting, Kitty encounters an orphaned part-Maori girl she names Amber. Together they return to the Bay of Islands, where both Kitty must risk her own life to save Amber’s.
Isle of Tears (HarperCollins NZ Ltd, 2009) is a story about 14-year-old Scottish immigrant Isla McKinnon and her younger brothers and sister. When they are orphaned they are adopted by Taranaki Maori and become caught up in the wars in Taranaki, the Waikato and the Bay of Plenty.
A revised edition of Challinor’s Grey Ghosts (HarperCollins NZ) was published in 2009. This edition included a new chapter on how the New Zealand Vietnam veteran community has fared since the book was first published in 1998.
Primarily known for her historical novels, Deborah Challinor’s first published books were non-fiction history books, including the best-selling Grey Ghosts: New Zealand Vietnam Vets Talk About Their War (Hodder Moa Beckett, 1998).
Her first historical novel, Tamar, was published in 2002 and has been reprinted six times. Tamar is set in Auckland, Hawke’s Bay and South Africa and covers the period from 1879 until the Boer War. The series continues with White Feathers (2003) and Blue Smoke (2004).
Union Belle (2005) tells the love story of a young woman caught up in the 1951 waterfront strike, and Kitty (2006) is set in the Bay of Islands in nineteenth century New Zealand. Both novels have been at the top of the New Zealand fiction bestseller list.
Attention to historical detail is an important part of writing for Challinor. ‘I base my novels on actual historical events, and it’s very important to me to research those events in depth and to present them accurately,’ she says.
Reviewing Union Belle in North and South magazine in April 2005, Warwick Roger commented that: ‘You can smell the beer and cigarette smoke in the public bar of the Huntly Hotel, hear the band at the Saturday night dances at the miner’s hall … it’s a book I kept sneaking back to whenever I had a spare quarter hour, eager to advance the story.’
Fire (HarperCollins, 2007), Challinor's seventh novel, is set in Auckland during the hype leading up to the royal visit of 1953, but is based on the Ballantyne’s department store fire of 1947 in Christchurch. A powerful and dramatic story of passion, ambition and greed, it became a number one bestseller.
Amber, the sequel to Kitty, was published later in 2007 and also became a bestseller. Amber opens in New Zealand in 1945, on the eve of the Northern War in the Bay of Islands, in which Kitty is caught up. Sent to Auckland away from the fighting, Kitty encounters an orphaned part-Maori girl she names Amber. Together they return to the Bay of Islands, where both Kitty must risk her own life to save Amber’s.
Isle of Tears (HarperCollins NZ Ltd, 2009) is a story about 14-year-old Scottish immigrant Isla McKinnon and her younger brothers and sister. When they are orphaned they are adopted by Taranaki Maori and become caught up in the wars in Taranaki, the Waikato and the Bay of Plenty.
A revised edition of Challinor’s Grey Ghosts (HarperCollins NZ) was published in 2009. This edition included a new chapter on how the New Zealand Vietnam veteran community has fared since the book was first published in 1998.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 13, 2026
It was 1872 when undertaker of Crowe's Funerals, Tatty Crowe, and her assistant, Hannah, sailed to New Zealand at the request of someone she had previously refused, to embalm his father. By the time they arrived, he'd been dead for 6 days - embalming was almost impossible. But the two of them managed, left the residence, then Auckland the following morning. What a horrible experience for them both, but it was back to business once they were back in Sydney.
Tatty, Maggie (cook & housekeeper) Maggie's niece Lorna, and the rest of the household staff of the funeral business were busy. It was a hot summer in Sydney with many deaths, but it was on the train to the cemetery one day, when the coffin holding a bereaved family's loved one, was stolen. Immediately Crowe's Funerals were blamed, and Tatty did her best to find the body and satisfy the family. When a second body was stolen, then a third attempted, Tatty knew who was doing it. Proving it though, was another thing. She also knew why...
Black Velvet and Vengeance is the 3rd in the Tatty Crowe series by Aussie/NZ author Deborah Challinor and once again I loved it. Some of my old favourite characters - Friday Wolfe & friends - make an appearance, and Tatty herself is wonderful. Strong, feisty, determined and very much the independent young widow, I love how she takes the "bad guys" on! I think this is possibly the last in the series - it was intimated - but I really hope it's not! Highly recommended (and do read from the beginning).
Tatty, Maggie (cook & housekeeper) Maggie's niece Lorna, and the rest of the household staff of the funeral business were busy. It was a hot summer in Sydney with many deaths, but it was on the train to the cemetery one day, when the coffin holding a bereaved family's loved one, was stolen. Immediately Crowe's Funerals were blamed, and Tatty did her best to find the body and satisfy the family. When a second body was stolen, then a third attempted, Tatty knew who was doing it. Proving it though, was another thing. She also knew why...
Black Velvet and Vengeance is the 3rd in the Tatty Crowe series by Aussie/NZ author Deborah Challinor and once again I loved it. Some of my old favourite characters - Friday Wolfe & friends - make an appearance, and Tatty herself is wonderful. Strong, feisty, determined and very much the independent young widow, I love how she takes the "bad guys" on! I think this is possibly the last in the series - it was intimated - but I really hope it's not! Highly recommended (and do read from the beginning).
April 10, 2026
Deborah Challinor has been a long time favourite author of mine and this is another series I have enjoyed so much.
This is the 3rd book in the Tatty Crowe series!
The story follows on from the previous book where Tatty Crowe owns and runs her own funeral business in 1800’s Sydney where lots of real…and credibly imagined…scenarios make for a very page turning book full of mystery and speculation, and of course lots of bodies!
Tatty’s business takes care of everything from retrieving corpses from all manner of circumstances to embalming and then transportation, via horse and carriages, and often via train too, to the cemeteries in and around Sydney during the 1800’s.
Given all of those conditions and in that era, one can imagine the sort of misadventures that might befall Tatty and her small group of employees during the course of their business, with autopsies, inquests, foul play and…not to mention her penchant for inadvertently finding herself embroiled in some mischief or other.
This is a great series for lovers of a bit of funerary mystery that keeps moving without being unsettling or cringy.
The characters are loveable with well developed personalities and traits.
The author hinted that this may be the final book in this series, I sincerely hope not as I am so invested in these characters now and can see where another book might follow. 🤞
Sydney is my home town so it is even more exciting to recognise places, cemeteries, and streets which are still around today!
5⭐️s
This is the 3rd book in the Tatty Crowe series!
The story follows on from the previous book where Tatty Crowe owns and runs her own funeral business in 1800’s Sydney where lots of real…and credibly imagined…scenarios make for a very page turning book full of mystery and speculation, and of course lots of bodies!
Tatty’s business takes care of everything from retrieving corpses from all manner of circumstances to embalming and then transportation, via horse and carriages, and often via train too, to the cemeteries in and around Sydney during the 1800’s.
Given all of those conditions and in that era, one can imagine the sort of misadventures that might befall Tatty and her small group of employees during the course of their business, with autopsies, inquests, foul play and…not to mention her penchant for inadvertently finding herself embroiled in some mischief or other.
This is a great series for lovers of a bit of funerary mystery that keeps moving without being unsettling or cringy.
The characters are loveable with well developed personalities and traits.
The author hinted that this may be the final book in this series, I sincerely hope not as I am so invested in these characters now and can see where another book might follow. 🤞
Sydney is my home town so it is even more exciting to recognise places, cemeteries, and streets which are still around today!
5⭐️s
June 19, 2026
Black Velvet & Vengance in book 3 in the 'A Tatty Crowe Novel' which can be read standalone but will definitely make you want to read the other two. This book is an Historical Mystery.
This Historical Mystery takes you on adventure it has twists that were unexpected and some expected (depending on reader) it had a good storyline. Tatty Crowe had an amazing relationship with her staff/in home team which was so special. Evan Hunter was so not nice in this book his mother Viola Hunter even worse. Overall this book was such a good read with a sad and wholesome ending. I highly recommend this book
This Historical Mystery takes you on adventure it has twists that were unexpected and some expected (depending on reader) it had a good storyline. Tatty Crowe had an amazing relationship with her staff/in home team which was so special. Evan Hunter was so not nice in this book his mother Viola Hunter even worse. Overall this book was such a good read with a sad and wholesome ending. I highly recommend this book
February 24, 2026
Content note sexual violence and predatory behaviour. I think I’m one of the first reviewers so I wanted to note this for others who might need it.
Bought this and read it in one day around work so it was a quick read and page turner.
I found the first third of this book challenging to read given the content. However I enjoyed it more as I read through the book, and appreciated the rhythm and thoughtful detail matching previous books in the series.
Looking forward to reading others’ reviews later down the track.
Bought this and read it in one day around work so it was a quick read and page turner.
I found the first third of this book challenging to read given the content. However I enjoyed it more as I read through the book, and appreciated the rhythm and thoughtful detail matching previous books in the series.
Looking forward to reading others’ reviews later down the track.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2026
4.5 star. Another great book and easy to read. The 2nd book in this series is still my fav.
February 25, 2026
This is the third book in what has been a very enjoyable series. This plot involves an unasked for pregnancy,and the way Tatty deals with this. It also brings the despicable Hunter family into Tatty’s life and the mother starts targeting Tatty’s business. Wonderful research behind this story and the author’s notes are really interesting. I enjoy the interactions between the characters and portrayal of life at the time. Hopefully there will be a sequel, as I would love to know what happens next for these characters.
March 23, 2026
Good continuation of Tatty's story. I enjoy reading books based in our corner of the world - Australia and NZ and also by this author.
April 11, 2026
Did you known that during the Victorian era hair from the dead was put into jewelry and death rituals mostly took place in the home?
Outsourcing death rituals (what we now know as funerals) is a fairly modern occurrence.
In Black Velvet and Vengeance we are back in the world of Tatty Crowe - a woman running a funeral business in Sydney during the Victorian era.
Call me morbid but I find all the death and dying rituals incredibly fascinating and although this is fiction so much of this series is based on fact. Each book follows Tatty as she sets out to solve a mystery.
This particular installment a number of bodies are going missing from the cemetery and Tatty sets out to find out why.
I love this series so much, even more so because it’s set in Australia!
Historical fiction and morbidly curious readers you must pick this up!
Thank you Harper Collins Australia for my review copy.
Outsourcing death rituals (what we now know as funerals) is a fairly modern occurrence.
In Black Velvet and Vengeance we are back in the world of Tatty Crowe - a woman running a funeral business in Sydney during the Victorian era.
Call me morbid but I find all the death and dying rituals incredibly fascinating and although this is fiction so much of this series is based on fact. Each book follows Tatty as she sets out to solve a mystery.
This particular installment a number of bodies are going missing from the cemetery and Tatty sets out to find out why.
I love this series so much, even more so because it’s set in Australia!
Historical fiction and morbidly curious readers you must pick this up!
Thank you Harper Collins Australia for my review copy.
April 28, 2026
‘Tatiana Crowe – twenty-five years old, a widow, and the owner of busy and profitable undertaking Crowe Funerals – sat in her office listening with amusement to her cook and dear friend, Maggie Seddon, chatting in the hallway to the household cats.’
Okay, so this is the third book in the series and I am immediately hooked. This book opens in late 1872 with Tatiana (Tatty) Crowe leaving her busy undertaking business in Sydney to travel to Auckland to embalm the body of Evan Hunter’s father. Tatty was reluctant to travel to Auckland, and nothing goes according to plan. Once back in Sydney, Tatty must make some difficult choices both personally and professionally. Crowe Funerals is under attack: business is disrupted when bodies go missing while on the funeral train to the cemetery. While Tatty has an idea about who might be disrupting business, proving it is a challenge.
Ms Challinor takes the reader into the world of Victorian funeral arrangements and customs adding a level of intrigue and mystery to the story. I especially enjoyed Ms Challinor’s notes at the end of the book and immediately rushed to borrow the first two books from my library.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Okay, so this is the third book in the series and I am immediately hooked. This book opens in late 1872 with Tatiana (Tatty) Crowe leaving her busy undertaking business in Sydney to travel to Auckland to embalm the body of Evan Hunter’s father. Tatty was reluctant to travel to Auckland, and nothing goes according to plan. Once back in Sydney, Tatty must make some difficult choices both personally and professionally. Crowe Funerals is under attack: business is disrupted when bodies go missing while on the funeral train to the cemetery. While Tatty has an idea about who might be disrupting business, proving it is a challenge.
Ms Challinor takes the reader into the world of Victorian funeral arrangements and customs adding a level of intrigue and mystery to the story. I especially enjoyed Ms Challinor’s notes at the end of the book and immediately rushed to borrow the first two books from my library.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
March 18, 2026
Three and a half stars. Felt similar to how I felt for the second book in this series. The first book was brilliant, 5/5. The second two I felt meandered and didn't have as coherent a plot. Plus the classic protagonist doing things and you don't understand why when there are simpler (and more legal) ways to do things. In this one it also just seemed very random and stitched together. I feel a lot of the stuff I loved in the first one was about the nuts and bolts of running the funeral services and being an undertaker in 19th century Sydney. This just didn't figure as much in the second two. It was all sort of in the background. But anyway. A bit of a shame. I love this authors work and from the first book had such high hopes for this series. I will say I like the notes section at the end where they explain their research process and a lot of the history they covered while writing.
April 28, 2026
Thank you so much @harpercollinsaustralia for the chance to read your stunning new historical fiction story, set right here in Sydney, Australia! 🫶
This is the 3rd book in the Tatty Crowe series, and I was worried about starting from so far in the series but it worked so well as a standalone novel!
The story moves at a pace that works perfectly to keep you intruiged but gives you enough time to absorb the knowledge and new characters, who by the way bring so much personality and tension to this story.
It should be mentioned that this does touch on some sensitive topics, sexual violence and predatory behaviour, that bring alot of personality and depth to Tatty as a person rather then take away from the novel itself.
~ 📖 IF YOU LOVE ~
🌿 Historical settings
💔 Emotional stories
💪 Strong female leads
⚖️ Justice & Revenge
🕰️ Stories set in colonial-era Australia
🔥 Slow-burn
This is the 3rd book in the Tatty Crowe series, and I was worried about starting from so far in the series but it worked so well as a standalone novel!
The story moves at a pace that works perfectly to keep you intruiged but gives you enough time to absorb the knowledge and new characters, who by the way bring so much personality and tension to this story.
It should be mentioned that this does touch on some sensitive topics, sexual violence and predatory behaviour, that bring alot of personality and depth to Tatty as a person rather then take away from the novel itself.
~ 📖 IF YOU LOVE ~
🌿 Historical settings
💔 Emotional stories
💪 Strong female leads
⚖️ Justice & Revenge
🕰️ Stories set in colonial-era Australia
🔥 Slow-burn
April 3, 2026
Black Velvet and Vengeance is an intriguing historical fiction read that is set in Sydney in the early 1870’s. It centres around the fascinating world of Sydney’s Victorian funeral businesses at that time.
This is the third book in the Tatty Crowe series, but it works well as standalone read. I enjoyed the historical Sydney setting and the exploration of the less glamorous side of life and death.
Things were not really run by women at this time, but Tatty’s determination and resilience to head her business was admirable, if not a little naive.
I loved the side characters in this one too. They are mostly the staff in Tatty’s employ but they felt more like an eclectic family unit.
Overall this was a fun historical fiction read that hits differently and spotlights an interesting period in Sydney’s history.
Thank you to @harpercollinsaustralia for a copy to read 💕
This is the third book in the Tatty Crowe series, but it works well as standalone read. I enjoyed the historical Sydney setting and the exploration of the less glamorous side of life and death.
Things were not really run by women at this time, but Tatty’s determination and resilience to head her business was admirable, if not a little naive.
I loved the side characters in this one too. They are mostly the staff in Tatty’s employ but they felt more like an eclectic family unit.
Overall this was a fun historical fiction read that hits differently and spotlights an interesting period in Sydney’s history.
Thank you to @harpercollinsaustralia for a copy to read 💕
May 10, 2026
This was my first book by this author but now I'm thinking I may need to go back and read the other 2 books in this series.
I loved the period piece of it, and the believability of the situations, characters, timelines, etc.
It was a page-turner that was a random library borrow, but I'm really glad I picked it up.
If you're looking for 1800s funerary stories that are layered with mystery, compassion and emotion, then this one could be for you!
I loved the period piece of it, and the believability of the situations, characters, timelines, etc.
It was a page-turner that was a random library borrow, but I'm really glad I picked it up.
If you're looking for 1800s funerary stories that are layered with mystery, compassion and emotion, then this one could be for you!
April 27, 2026
Did anyone notice that in chapter 10 that when Friday, Aria, Hattie and Sarah visit Tatty… Deborah write Hattie talks about her adopted daughter Charlotte who she adopted from Sarah* when Sarah* died but she adopted her from her friend Rachel* when she died…. (Convict Girls Series)
Sarah Green is very much still alive… I’m
a bit thrown by this mistake but still love the book nonetheless.
Sarah Green is very much still alive… I’m
a bit thrown by this mistake but still love the book nonetheless.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2026
This book is great I won't put in any spoilers I'll just best historical fiction I've read in a long time. I love the entire series but this is the best one of the three so far. Definately worth the wait since I pre ordered in October. I devoured this book in one day.
April 21, 2026
I have loved this series so much. Tatty Crowe is an awesome character. The storyline continues to be riveting and the characters well written. There is humour here and there and it always feels like I'm with them. I hope this series never ends tbh.
April 26, 2026
Another great Tatty story! I'm sad to have reached the end of the series as I really enjoyed all the characters of the Crowe household. I love all the detail of the Victorian era woven into the story. Such great historical fiction. One of my favourites. Thank you Deborah Challinor!!
July 16, 2026
This book felt pedestrian. No surprises or impressive research. Yes she made a reluctant embalming trip to nz and yes Mr Hunter was dastardly. And the murder count went up. Hopefully the end of this series!
March 3, 2026
I have enjoyed all of the Tatty Crowe books and this was no exception. Will be interested to see if there is a fourth one to continue us the adventure!
March 22, 2026
Devoured this book. It's so different to what I would usually read but thoroughly enjoyed the characters and speedy story line.
March 22, 2026
4.5/5
March 25, 2026
Very much enjoyed this 3rd book in the series.
As always find authors notes interesting.
As always find authors notes interesting.
April 2, 2026
Loved it. kept me going all through the book. great storyline and ending.
May 2, 2026
Another awesome read by this author. Clearly a lot of research as been done to make this novel interesting. I have enjoyed this series
May 13, 2026
Fantastic read!! Thank you.
May 13, 2026
Interesting depiction of the funeral business in Sydney in 1860s.
June 22, 2026
Book 3, I felt the tone was slightly different to the first 2 books. I enjoyed being back in Tatty’s world… it feels like catching up with old friends. A good read.
July 13, 2026
This was my favourite of the series.
March 12, 2026
Another great story about Tatty
Every Deborah Challinor book is a new adventure - one that is so well written that it feels like you are part of the story.
Every Deborah Challinor book is a new adventure - one that is so well written that it feels like you are part of the story.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews